Lingering Worries

Hearing this, Chen Nianxin looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva with a look of utter confusion.

She found it hard to believe.

She had originally thought that after she refused, Guanyin Bodhisattva would take her away by force.

She never expected the other party was truly asking for her opinion.

However, this left her momentarily speechless, not knowing how to continue her verbal sparring with Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Although she loved to argue, she could only perform at her full potential when the other party fought back.

Faced with someone like Guanyin Bodhisattva, she was truly at a loss.

It was far too easy for her to run out of things to say.

Consequently, she gave a soft snort, turned away, and said, "As long as you understand! I'm certainly not leaving with you anyway."

Seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva remained unruffled, merely offering a light chuckle and a nod.

She had once assumed a different form to teach this child, so she knew her personality inside and out...

Similarly, she knew exactly how to handle her.

"Mhm, I respect your decision," Guanyin said calmly.

To be honest, Guanyin hadn't intended to take her away from the start.

As stated before, if she wanted to take someone, no one could stop her...

Su Qing's strength was indeed impressive, but the one here was only a clone, her strength inherently limited, so she couldn't have stopped her...

In fact, even if Su Qing's original body were here, she still wouldn't be able to stop her.

Guanyin was many years her senior, and the gap in their strength was not just a matter of a level or two.

So, the reason this matter could end so abstractly and simply...

was simply because she didn't want to take the child away that much.

However, she had her own mission.

Whether she wanted to or not, she had to make the trip.

Therefore, she needed Su Qing to refuse, and Chen Nianxin herself to refuse.

Now that both Su Qing and Chen Nianxin had refused, the task was considered complete, and there was no need to take her away.

As for why she was unwilling to send the child to the Buddha Kingdom...

Wasn't it because... this child was once her disciple?

She was a person who cherished old bonds.

She still felt some affection for this child.

Naturally, she hoped she could be a bit more free.

Being a member of the Buddhist sect, she naturally understood its inner workings.

The treatment this child would receive back in the Buddha Kingdom compared to staying here would be entirely different.

After speaking with Chen Nianxin, Guanyin turned to Su Qing and said:

"With this, my mission is complete. Little Friend Su Qing, I hope when you have time in the future, you can visit the Buddha Kingdom as a guest. Although things are still a bit busy there, the Buddha has said that if you come to visit, he will still find time to receive you."

Hearing these words, Su Qing only nodded with a beaming smile and said, "Mhm, if I have time, I will certainly come to visit."

Those were her words.

However, Su Qing had no real intention of going as a guest or anything of the sort.

After all, the Buddhist sect was so busy; they likely had no leisure to host her.

Besides, she had no reason to go there.

She couldn't exactly run over there just to scrounge a meal, could she? That would be more than a little asking for trouble.

So, unless necessary, Su Qing certainly wouldn't run toward the Buddhist sect for no reason.

Guanyin didn't particularly care what Su Qing said. After all, Su Qing was the type who always agreed very quickly to such things, but doing them was another matter entirely.

She only nodded with a smile and said, "Very well then, I shall take my leave. I hope your life continues to be pleasant..."

"Safe travels, Senior..." Su Qing nodded, then added, "Oh, right, I'm a bit curious—how is the progress in the Buddha Kingdom?"

"The progress is fairly smooth... you needn't worry." With that, she performed a hand seal and departed.

Su Qing watched Guanyin Bodhisattva fade into the distance, then took a sip of tea, thinking to herself:

'Progress is fairly smooth? That's good then...'

Su Qing didn't harbor any ill will toward the Buddhist sect...

She was a member of the Buddhist sect herself, and she had many friends there.

Therefore, the Buddhist sect being able to smoothly weather this calamity was not a bad thing for Su Qing.

After finishing her tea, Su Qing looked at Chen Nianxin, who was sitting nearby looking somewhat depressed, and couldn't help but chuckle. "What? Guanyin Bodhisattva makes one visit and you're already depressed?"

Faced with Su Qing's inquiry, Chen Nianxin curled her lip and said, "None of your business..."

"Oh, it looks like you're just not used to not being able to snap at Guanyin a few times?" Su Qing rubbed her chin and added, "But to tell you the truth, if you really provoked Senior Guanyin, the consequences could be very dire! Getting a beating would be the least of it."

Of course, she would only get a beating.

After all, Su Qing knew exactly what kind of relationship Guanyin had with this girl.

The only person who didn't know and was kept in the dark was Chen Nianxin herself...

Hearing this, Chen Nianxin shot Su Qing a glance and said, "Why are you so annoying! I just don't quite understand what that Guanyin Bodhisattva was up to, that's all."

Su Qing felt a slight sense of clarity upon hearing this. She chuckled and said, "What else could it be? She never intended to take you away from the start. Otherwise, would your refusal have mattered?"

"If that's the case, why did she even come?"

"You've truly lived all these years in vain." Su Qing couldn't help but roll her eyes. "She naturally had a mission to fulfill; otherwise, why make the trip? I feel like besides your sharp tongue, you're lacking in every other area. You're not even smart enough."

"You're the one who isn't smart!" Seeing Su Qing insult her, Chen Nianxin immediately shot back, "I'm much smarter than you; there are just some things I couldn't quite figure out. Now that you've said it, I've figured it out too..."

Su Qing just chuckled at those words. She had already made things so obvious; if she still couldn't understand, then she was truly beyond help.

However, this girl was indeed quite weak when it came to the ways of the world.

Of course, she shouldn't really be blamed for that.

After all, there were very few times when she needed to worry about social graces.

In the past, she had her strength and didn't fear anyone, so there was no need to understand the ways of the world.

Now that she was here with Su Qing, Su Qing's own personality meant she didn't need to care about such things either...

Plus, she was kept on this mountain by Su Qing, so her opportunities to learn such things were even fewer.

Seeing her like this, Su Qing said with a beaming smile, "Fine, since you've figured it out, I won't say more! Mhm, Bai Zhu, help me massage my shoulders again! It was interrupted by Guanyin Bodhisattva just now, and I didn't get to properly enjoy it!"

Bai Zhu had been watching the show from the side for a long time. Now that Su Qing spoke, she finally snapped out of it.

She nodded with a beaming smile and said, "Mhm, okay! Then Sister Su, please sit properly."

Su Qing naturally nodded and then began to enjoy Bai Zhu's massage.

Nearby, Chen Nianxin saw this scene and merely curled her lip, not speaking up to mock her or anything.

Because she was too lazy to mock such things now; at this moment, she had other things to worry about...

The source of her worry was Guanyin Bodhisattva.

She always felt that Guanyin Bodhisattva was very similar to one of her elders.

Or to put it more directly, after those few simple exchanges with Guanyin Bodhisattva just now, she felt that Guanyin Bodhisattva was somewhat like her master.

But obviously, Guanyin Bodhisattva wasn't her master... After all, she knew her master well; she couldn't possibly be a member of the Buddhist sect like Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Therefore, she was currently so troubled.

Troubled by why such a person from the Buddhist sect would resemble her master.

'Perhaps my feelings are just wrong? After all, it's not entirely impossible for there to be people in the world who give off a similar feeling.' Chen Nianxin thought to herself, shaking her head helplessly.

She couldn't figure out the answer, so she could only give up on thinking about it.

After all, there was no point in continuing to ponder a question that couldn't be answered.

The only result would be making herself even more troubled.

She might not have learned much else here with Su Qing, but she had definitely learned the essence of this point.

Stretching, Chen Nianxin turned her gaze toward Su Qing, wondering if there was any chance to snap at her.

But after thinking about it, she decided to let it go.

After all, she had thought about so many things today that she no longer had much heart for such things.

However, regarding Su Qing, she still had some lingering confusion she wanted to ask her about.

So, she walked over to Su Qing's side and suddenly asked, "I say, I didn't want to leave myself, but why did you want to keep me?"

Su Qing was enjoying her massage when she suddenly heard such a question, which was a bit of a surprise.

She rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and said:

"Actually, there's no special reason. I just didn't want to see you taken away like that, that's all."

"Besides, you haven't been properly taught by me yet! If I let you go, wouldn't that ruin my own reputation?"

"Look at the people who came after you—Bai Qingrou, and Bai Zhu—they're all so obedient. Not like you."

"So how could I possibly let you go? I can't let you go out and embarrass me like that."

Chen Nianxin listened to Su Qing's long-winded chatter and felt she was just full of nonsense.

Whenever she wanted to hide something or intentionally divert her gaze and thoughts, she always liked to talk a lot of nonsense like this.

So, after a moment of silence, she spoke up: "Mhm, so you just couldn't bear to see me go?"

"A good summary. Don't summarize next time." Su Qing's expression didn't change as she heard this; she merely narrowed her eyes and shot her a glance as she answered.

Su Qing didn't get angry because she had seen through it; there wasn't even much of an emotional shift. Her tone remained as indifferent as ever, making it impossible to tell what her true thoughts were.

Even Bai Zhu couldn't tell what she was thinking.

However, Bai Zhu did see that Su Qing had indirectly admitted it.

Upon hearing this, Chen Nianxin didn't hesitate for a second, instinctively snapping back, "To think you actually like being scolded by me!"

Although Chen Nianxin was a bit too lazy to continue bickering with Su Qing, she couldn't help it; the opportunity was right there in front of her, and she had responded almost by instinct.

"You're overthinking it. I'm not like you; I don't have such a twisted personality." Su Qing opened her eyes slightly, her tone still indifferent. "Alright, it's about time. We should eat, then rest after eating!"

Su Qing didn't intend to continue bickering with Chen Nianxin. She was exhausted today, having dealt with many things one after another. How could she have the leisure to keep snapping back and forth with this girl?

Thus, having had enough, she simply stretched, preparing to slack off and go eat.

If this girl wanted to continue, she wouldn't mind using some special methods to deal with her.

Although Su Qing had chosen to keep her, it didn't mean she would let her do whatever she wanted.

She still had to be disciplined when necessary.

After all, her task was to educate this girl properly!

Even if she had been failing all along...

She still had to put in the effort!

Chen Nianxin couldn't help but curl her lip upon hearing Su Qing's words. She actually didn't want to continue bickering either.

"Hmph, whose personality is twisted? My personality is perfectly fine!"

Chen Nianxin might be stubborn, but she knew exactly what her personality was like.

She just couldn't admit it in front of Su Qing.

If she admitted it just like that, wouldn't she lose face? After all, she cared about her dignity!

Su Qing chuckled at this, then walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the next day.

Su Qing had prepared everything perfectly.

Today, naturally, she would go to fulfill the prayers of her believers as usual.

Arriving at the temple, Su Qing suddenly noticed a pile of very similar prayers.

She gave them a brief look.

'Hiss? A locust plague? It truly is a season of many troubles.' Su Qing's brow furrowed slightly, thinking with some displeasure: 'As we get closer to that event, these kinds of disasters are becoming more frequent!'

Su Qing shook her head slightly and thought helplessly: 'It looks like I'll have to take a long trip today.'

The matter of the locust plague naturally couldn't be solved by her incense avatar alone.

Something that required this clone to take action had to be handled by the clone herself.

Su Qing left the arrangements to Bai Zhu, while she set off to handle the locust plague.

On the other side, in the Northern Continent, Su Qing stretched her wrists and sat back in her seat.

Looking at the pile of official documents before her, she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"It truly is busy no matter which side I'm on!" Su Qing gave a helpless smile and shook her head.

Just as she was lamenting, a small head suddenly popped up by the window.

She peeked in and said with a beaming smile, "Mother, I've come to find you! I'm here to help~"

The newcomer was none other than the group's favorite, Su Tingtong...

At this moment, the little girl was leaning against the windowsill, looking at Su Qing with a grin.

As she spoke, her face bore a smile of immense confidence.

"You're here to help? You're so small, what could you possibly help with?"

Seeing her confidently offer to help, Su Qing felt both helpless and amused. She said, "You should focus on your cultivation. Cultivating well is the greatest help you can give me."

"I've already practiced everything I need to practice, and I've learned everything I need to learn. I even found time to teach that mama Mother brought back!" Su Tingtong replied.

Her words were not lies or boasting; she had indeed accomplished those things.

This girl's talent was truly somewhat heaven-defying.

Not only had she mastered everything she was supposed to learn, but she also had the leisure to teach others.

This was the source of her confidence and her capital.

Su Tingtong leaned against the window, looking at Su Qing's face, and said with a smile, "See? I've done everything. Can I come and help Mother now?"

"But what kind of help can you give? This isn't cultivation or anything else; it's handling official business!" Su Qing asked, propping her face up with one hand.

Upon hearing this, Su Tingtong continued, "Then I'll help Mother handle official business, of course!"

"But do you know how? I don't think I've ever taught you these things, have I?" Su Qing continued to inquire.

"It's okay! If I don't know, I can learn! I don't know now, but I will later! I'm very smart! I just need to watch from the side for a while, and I'll slowly get the hang of it!"

Su Tingtong had a confident smile on her face, looking quite adorable.

This wasn't just big talk; with her talent, if she wanted to learn these things, she really could pick them up just by watching.

At the very least, she could easily learn the theoretical side.

However, to reach the same level as Liu Xixi or Su Qing obviously wasn't something that could be done just by watching.

It would still require a lot of time and practical experience.

After all, there was still a huge gap between reality and theory...

Su Qing thought for a moment, reached out to pat her head, then changed the subject and asked:

"But I'm a bit curious—why did you suddenly want to come and help me? Did your mama ask you to help?"

"No, Mama only told me not to disturb Mother! She never asked me to help! I wanted to come myself." Su Tingtong shook her head, indicating it had nothing to do with Bai Suzhen.

Su Qing nodded upon hearing this; that wasn't particularly surprising.

Su Tingtong continued:

"I wanted to come help Mother mainly because I hope Mother can spend more time with me. It's just that Mother is usually so busy, always having endless things to do."

"So I figured if I could help share some of the burden, Mother could finish work faster and then play with me."

"No, even working together with Mother counts as spending time with her."

"So, I came."

"Mother, you know me; I'm very smart. I can definitely help."

"So, please?"

Su Qing looked at Su Tingtong. After a moment of silence, she still shook her head and said:

"Better not. These matters can be handled by Liu Xixi and me. It's still a bit too early for you to be dealing with these things..."

Most of the official documents they handled concerned major matters in the Northern Continent.

Such matters were naturally not convenient to hand over to Su Tingtong.

This was also why, when Su Qing wanted to find new assistants, she needed them to be reliable and sufficiently loyal.

Of course, it wasn't that Su Tingtong wasn't loyal, or that she wasn't smart or reliable; it was simply that she hadn't reached the point where she could directly intervene in such matters.

Even if she were truly to be groomed as an assistant, she would first have to undergo some training.

"But I want to spend more time with Mother... It's so boring being home alone. Please, please!"

Faced with Su Qing's refusal, she employed the ultimate technique of acting cute.

This technique was truly formidable; anyone, young or old, male or female, would fall for it.

Even Liu Xixi, who was watching from the side, felt like speaking up to persuade Su Qing.

Fortunately, she knew what was important and managed to restrain herself, not speaking out randomly.

Su Qing looked at Su Tingtong and shook her head again.

Her stance on this matter was very firm.

She said, "No, at least not for now. If you want to accompany me, then come and stay with me in the study. If you insist on helping, you can help us deliver and organize the documents. You cannot touch anything else for the time being."

Although Su Qing had refused, she hadn't refused entirely.

She just told Su Tingtong not to interfere with the documents themselves, but didn't stop her from helping out.

Su Qing naturally had her own considerations for doing this.

Letting Su Tingtong do odd jobs first was naturally in the hope that she would watch and learn...

If she still truly wanted to help after seeing it all, then they would talk about the next step.

For example, after she had learned enough, she could try handling some simple, inconsequential matters.

In short, Su Qing had her own plans.

She had refused, yet not entirely.

It was a bit of a superposition of states.

Hearing Su Qing's words, Su Tingtong also quickly sorted out Su Qing's meaning in her mind.

She soon aligned with Su Qing's train of thought and understood most of her meaning.

Consequently, her originally disappointed expression immediately brightened up.

Like a face-changing performer in a Sichuan Opera, her expression and face changed in an instant.

It was truly impressive.

"Yay, yay! Then I'll do odd jobs for Mothers first! Hehe, actually, I don't care what I do, as long as I can stay with Mother, that's enough."

Actually, what Su Tingtong most wanted to do was help share Su Qing's pressure—those official documents.

But since that wasn't possible, helping with other things was fine too.

In any case, her goal was just to stay with her mother.

Seeing her happy look, Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "Alright, come in then!"

Upon hearing this, Su Tingtong nodded and then went inside.

At this time, Liu Xixi nearby couldn't help but smile. "This child really loves you!"

"After all, I am her mother!" Su Qing spread her hands and said, "But you don't have any objections to letting her help, do you?"

"When have I ever had an objection?" Liu Xixi shook her head and said, "Besides, I do quite like this child... It's a good thing she can come and help with some chores."

Liu Xixi liked Su Tingtong, so she naturally wouldn't mind her being here.

Besides, Su Tingtong was Su Qing's daughter...

If even she minded, it would be more than a little strange.

Su Qing nodded at this, a slight smile still on her face.

And at that moment, little Tingtong walked in through the main door and laughingly threw herself into Su Qing's arms.

This girl was truly very affectionate... and very clingy.

Her talent was better than her other sisters, her personality was better, and she was more obedient, but she was also more clingy than any of them.

She could be said to be her most clingy child.

Mhm, she was infinitely more clingy than Leng Xiang had been at the very beginning.

Su Qing smiled and rubbed her head, saying, "Alright, it's time to work now. Help us out properly, and after everything is finished, we'll go back and play."

Su Qing didn't have time to play with her now; it was already late, and it was time to get busy.

There were still many official documents to handle today!

Hearing this, little Tingtong also nodded and said, "Okay, just say the word, Mother! I'll definitely do a good job."

Su Qing smiled, nodded, and then began to process the documents.

At the same time, she would occasionally direct Su Tingtong to do small tasks.

Time passed quickly.

Before they knew it, it was already dark.

Setting down the document in her hand, Su Qing asked, "How do you feel?"

"Not tired, just quite boring."

"These things have always been boring. It's not just what you do that's boring; most of our work is boring too." Su Qing smiled and answered.

"Is that so? But even if it's boring, I still want to help Mother more." Su Tingtong stood with her hands on her hips, her tone exceptionally firm.

Seeing her so determined, Su Qing also nodded and said, "Mhm, it's best that you have that thought."

Su Qing had originally thought that after a day of boredom, she would back down.

She hadn't expected the girl to still be so high-spirited.

It looked like this child was dead set on helping out.

But that was good too...

Su Qing's words made Su Tingtong quite happy; she nodded with a beaming smile and said, "Then should we go back now?"

"Mhm, it's time to go back," Su Qing said. "Let's go!"

Su Tingtong nodded and smilingly took Su Qing's hand.

Su Qing said her goodbyes to Liu Xixi and then left the study.

After leaving the study, Liu Xixi watched the two of them leave, somewhat dazed. For some reason, a strange thought occurred to her...

She was thinking, if only this child were her own.

She was just too cute.

But as soon as the thought appeared, she quickly shook her head, shaking the thought away.

Such a thought was a bit too dangerous.

It was best not to let her mind wander like that.

Su Qing returned to the bedchamber.

As soon as she returned, she found Bai Yuhe, intending to check on her cultivation progress.

Seeing that her cultivation was still proceeding step-by-step, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Sitting in the courtyard, Su Qing pulled Su Tingtong over and said, "Right, haven't you finished your recent cultivation? Then show me now. That way, I can arrange your future studies!"

"Can I not study? I want to keep helping you." Su Tingtong shook her head and said.

Su Qing naturally refused, saying, "You can come help me, but only after your own tasks are finished. Cultivation is of the utmost importance; it absolutely cannot be neglected."

Su Qing could yield a little in other areas, but she absolutely could not relax when it came to cultivation.

Hearing this, Su Tingtong was a bit unhappy, but she still nodded...

Regardless, she still had to listen to her mother.

Seeing this, Su Qing gave a satisfied smile and said, "Good. Then show me the results of your recent cultivation."

With that, Su Tingtong began to demonstrate according to Su Qing's request.

And the results were gratifying; the child's learning outcomes were still perfect...

As perfect as they always were.

This made Su Qing feel somewhat sentimental.

She was very curious—if the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth wasn't looming before them, how far could this child grow if she were allowed to develop freely?

Surely, her achievements would be far higher than her own, wouldn't they?

Su Qing clapped her hands and said with satisfaction, "Mhm, very good; you've done as well as always. Then I'll slowly teach you the rest!"

Su Tingtong nodded. Although Su Qing's praise made her happy, she felt a bit gloomy thinking that she would have to cultivate in the future and wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her mother.

Seeing her expression, Su Qing rubbed her head and said, "Once you reach Mother's level, I won't require you to learn anything more... But until then, work a little harder."

Su Qing hoped she could reach a higher realm of cultivation...

That way, when the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth arrived, she would have one more source of help and could better protect those around her.

Although this would put a lot of pressure on her... in this current era, who didn't have pressure?

Hearing this, Su Tingtong looked at Su Qing, as if seeing the flicker of concern in Su Qing's eyes. She then nodded and said, "Mhm, I won't let Mother down! But it's a deal—once I reach Mother's level, Mother will let me do whatever I want! And won't make me learn any more things."

"Alright, alright, once you reach my level, you can learn if you want to, and if you don't, I won't require it of you anymore." Su Qing chuckled and said.

Seeing Su Qing give her guarantee, Su Tingtong finally nodded with satisfaction and then said, "I'm hungry, Mother, when are we eating!"

She wasn't truly hungry; she was just changing the subject, wanting to talk about something else.

Su Qing didn't care whether it was true or not and simply announced that it was time for dinner.

After dinner, mother and daughter played in the courtyard for a while longer.

Finally, they went to rest.

And so, another day passed.

And similar ordinary days, one after another, continued to persist and repeat in the future...

In the blink of an eye, another three decades had passed.